Storing and transport apparatus with interchangeable drawers for instruments and accessories for machining surfaces

ABSTRACT

The present invention describes an apparatus for storing and transporting instruments and accessories for machining surfaces, comprising at least one fixed furniture unit or drawer unit ( 1 ) and at least one movable trolley ( 2 ) including drawer modules ( 3, 9 ). Said drawer modules ( 3, 9 ) are made up of a fixed part ( 4, 10 ) and of an extractable part ( 5, 11 ) fitted with gripping means ( 40 ), the extractable part ( 5, 11 ) having identical external dimensions in all the modules ( 3, 9 ) and the fixed part ( 4, 10 ) including a housing ( 41, 42 ) complementary to the extractable part ( 5, 11 ) of said modules ( 3, 9 ).

The present invention refers to a storing and transport apparatus withinterchangeable drawers for instruments and accessories for machiningsurfaces.

Fixed furniture units or drawer units are known that comprise drawermodules for storing instruments and accessories for machining surfaces,said modules being made with a fixed part and an extractable part.

In the case in which some objects contained in the modules are to beused in a place far from where the drawer unit is, it is necessary toremove them and take them to the working area. When the objects to beused are numerous said transport becomes problematic.

For brief sections the whole extractable part can be removed and takento the working area, but, if the distance is long and the materialcontained in the extractable part is heavy, said transport operation isnot easy.

Trolleys are also known comprising at least one drawer module thatcontains tools and/or accessory devices, said module being constitutedby a fixed part and an extractable part.

Currently it is possible to transfer the material contained in themodules of the drawer unit into the modules of the trolley and viceversa. An operation of this kind is definitely not easy, above all inthe cases in which the material to be transferred is heavy and comprisesvarious pieces.

In addition the continuous moving of tools or similar creates untidinesswhich is certainly to be avoided above all in very big workshops.

The object of the present invention is to make an apparatus that permitsinstruments, accessories and other work material, to be stored andtransported simply and economically without encountering the abovementioned problems.

In accordance with the invention this object is achieved with anapparatus for storing and transporting instruments and accessories formachining surfaces, characterised in that it comprises at least onefixed furniture unit or drawer unit and at least one movable trolleyincluding drawer modules made up of one fixed part and one extractablepart fitted with gripping means, the extractable part having identicalexternal dimensions in all the modules and the fixed part including ahousing position complementary to the extractable part of said modules.

Basically the housings of the fixed parts of the modules of the drawerunit and of the trolley have the same dimensions so that the extractableparts of the drawer unit can be inserted into the trolley and viceversa.

The characteristics of the present invention will appear even moreevident from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereofillustrated as non-limiting example in the enclosed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an axonometric view of a fixed unit or three-module drawerunit with the extractable parts partially extracted from the fixed part;

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the drawer unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a view in section according to the line III-III of FIG. 2,with the extractable part of the upper module completely contained inthe fixed part;

FIG. 4 shows a view in section according to the line IV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows a front view of a trolley according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 shows a side view of FIG. 5 with the extractable part of theintermediate module partially extracted and sectioned;

FIG. 7 shows a view in section according to the line VII-VII of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 shows an axonometric view of an extractable part of the trolleyor of the drawer unit with the gripping means in a rest position;

FIG. 9 shows an axonometric view of an extractable part of the trolleyor of the drawer unit with the gripping means raised for transportingit;

FIG. 10 shows a front view of three drawer units side by side.

The storing and transport apparatus for instruments and accessories formachining surfaces that is shown in the drawings comprises a fixedfurniture unit or drawer unit 1 and a trolley 2. Naturally it can alsocomprise several fixed units and several trolleys of the same type asthose illustrated.

The drawer unit 1 (FIGS. 1-4), that is resting on the ground with feet6, comprises overlaying modules 3 held together by removable connectingmeans 30, each module 3 being constituted by a fixed part 4 and anextractable part 5.

The fixed part 4 has an internal housing 41 and on the upper externalsurface guides 7 inside which protuberances 8 positioned on the lowerexternal surface of the extractable part 5 slide.

The trolley 2 (FIGS. 5-7), comprising a support framework 20, wheels 21and feet 22, also has overlaying modules 9 held together by removableconnecting means 31, each module 9 being constituted by a fixed part 10and by an extractable part 11 fitted with a rotating handle 40 (FIGS.8-9). A removable case can be overlaid and fixed to the above mentionedmodules, or to some of them.

Similarly to the drawer unit 1, in regard to the trolley 2, the fixedpart 10 presents an internal housing 42 and on the upper externalsurface guides 12 inside which protuberances 13 positioned on the lowerexternal surface of the extractable part 11 slide.

The novelty of said apparatus consists in the fact that the fixed parts4, 10 and the extractable parts 5, 11 of the drawer unit 1 and of thetrolley 2 are identical.

This means that the extractable parts 5 and 11 are interchangeable, thatis the extractable part 11 of the trolley 2 can be inserted in the fixedpart 4 of the drawer unit 1, and the extractable part 5 of the drawerunit 1 can be inserted in the fixed part 10 of the trolley 2.

Thanks to this apparatus it is possible to pull out an extractable part5 from a fixed part 4 of the drawer unit 1, which contains usefulmaterial for a certain job, in a place far from the drawer unit 1itself, and insert it in a fixed free part 10 of the trolley 2. Thewheels 21 thus permit the material needed to be transported to the workarea.

The extractable parts 5, 11 can be moved from the drawer unit 1 to thetrolley 2 or vice versa, as they can also be manoeuvred independently,thanks to the rotating handle 40.

The invention thus permits considerable flexibility in the use of thematerial contained in the modules 3, 9 with a consequent saving of timein organising work and greater tidiness.

It is also possible to put together several drawer units 1 (three in thecase illustrated in FIG. 10) placing them side by side so as to cover awall partially or totally. At any time a single drawer unit 1 can bedetached or another can be added.

1. Apparatus for storing and transporting instruments and accessoriesfor machining surfaces, characterised in that it comprises at least onefixed furniture unit or drawer unit (1) and at least one movable trolley(2) including drawer modules (3, 9) formed by a fixed part (4, 10) andby an extractable part (5, 11) fitted with gripping means (40), theextractable part (5, 11) having identical external dimensions to thosein all the modules (3, 9) and the fixed part (4, 10) including a housing(41, 42) complementary to the extractable part (5, 11) of said modules(3, 9).
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that saidhousing (41, 42) comprises at least one guide (7, 12) with whichprotuberances (8, 13) present on the lower external surface of theextractable part (5, 11) are engaged in a sliding manner.
 3. Apparatusaccording to claim 1, characterised in that said trolley (2) compriseswheels (21) for moving it.